Filter for removing ice crystals from hydrocarbon liquids and the like



Oct. 6, 1953 J. w. RoBlNsoN l-:TAL Y FILTER FOR REIIOVING ICE CRYSTALSFRG HvnRocARou LIQuIns Aun 'ma uns iled sept. 20.V 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l4 1N V EN TOR.

n laeenminson Manga 0f 6 1953 .1. w. RoBlNsoN ETAL 2,654,482

FILTER FOR REMOVING ICE CRYSTALS FROM HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS AND THE LIKEFiled Sept. 20, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J IN V EN TOR.

)in namRona/I o MMSI damas i Magg/s' Patented @et $9 i953 FIILTER FOBBEMOVING CE CRYSTALS FRQM HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS AND THELIKE John WarrenRobinson, Atlantic Beach, Fla., and William S. James, Providence, B. I.,assignors to Fram Corporation, a corporation of Rhode Island ApplicationSeptember 20. 1952, Serial No. 310,621

' 'z claims. (ci. 21o- 167) This application is a continuation in partof our application Ser. No. 68,328, filed December 30, 1948, nowabandoned, and relates to a filter for liquids for use in climatessufficiently cold so,

that water in solution will become ice at the temperatures to which theliquids are subjected.

In the operation of the internal combustion engines lusing' hydrocarbonssuch as kerosene or gasoline as fuel, water is often present in solutionin quantities from .005% to .020% and as the water is notl mixable withthe fuel at low temperatures, it is found that when the engine isoperated in low temperatures that the water in the fuel will become icein the form oi crystals which gather upon a filtering surface andprovide such a solid that they will obstruct the flow of the fuel.Sometimes the ice crystals will collect upon the screen of the fuel pumpor upon bends in the fuel line where the fuel lines are of smallcross-sectional area. The crystals which form have a very high unitpressure which causes slight melting and then the pressure disappearsand refreezing occurs, and it is found in extremely cold climates thatice very rapidly forms in the fuel lines or upon screens or other suchsurfaces where the iiow of the crystals in the fuel may be slightlyretarded.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide for the separation ofthe solid ice crystalsl from the liquid fuel and to accumulate them insuch a position that the fuel iiow will not be retarded.

Another object of this invention is to provide some means for removingthe solid ice crystals from the liquid as they are formed. that thesurface upon which they are accumulated may remain free.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully shown andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a lter formed in accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the flow of the fuel to the filter;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the mounting of the filter element;

Fig. 5 is a plan view with the cap removed;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 'l is a fragmental elevation of the lower end of a filter elementof modified form;

Fig. 8 is a fragmental elevation of a filter ele- .ment of a differentmodified form;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through a iilter element showing the same' indotted lines in co1- lapsed position. l

In' proceeding with thisinvention, we provide a pervious tubing which iselastic and treat the tubing with some. water and ice repellent chemicalsuch as silicone or a stearate such as barium stearate. This filteringelement is suspended in a chamber into which the fuel is passed and fromwhich the fuel is taken after 'passing through the filter element. Anyice crystals will collect upon the filter element and when theyaccumulate to such an extent as to provide a rigid ice coating and shutoil' the flow therethrough, the differential in pressurevon the outsideand inside of the tube will collapse the tube causing it to break thecoating of ice crystals, permitting them to drop to the bottom of thechamber.

Additionally, means may be provided to rock or move the element such asthe placing of fins upon the element to respond to the circulatorymovement of the fuel to swing the element in its 'suspended relation orsome weighting means may be provided which will cause the element toswing due to the vibration of the engine upon which the lter is mounted.These additionally will cause the ice which accumulates on the elementto drop to the bottom of the chamber and i permit freedom of flow againof the filtrate through the filter element.

Some heating means may be used to provide suiiicient heat to melt thesmall quantity of ice which is accumulated in the bottom of the chamberso that it may be withdrawn as water, that the chamber need not be oftoo great a size.

With reference to the drawings, I0 designates a casing in the form of acup, providing a chamber II which has a drainage' outlet I2 at its lowerend and a closure cap I3 at its upper end, which provides an outletconduit I4, inlet being provided by a tangential conduit I5 to give aswirling action to the liquid as it enters. Suspended from the plate I6are a plurality ofv pervious elastic tubes I1, which are treated withsome water or ice repellent chemical such asv silicone or a stearatesuch as barium stearate.

4The tube may be formed of any long iiber material which will not absorbwater and which when braided or woven into tubular form possesses thequality of assuming a tubular'form when fabricated into this form andyet is elastic permitting it to be deformed from the tubular shape underpressure. and return to its'former shape when the pressure is released.v The fibers must also be capable of being treated with a waterrepellent chemical. The smooth long synthetic iibers such as glass.nylon, casein, teflon, and other bers having these qualities Will befound suitable.

The tubes are suspended so that they will freely swing in the chamberIl. Each tube I1 has its inner area -connecting with the outlet M sothat filtrate which passes through fthe tubes il may be dischargedthrough the outlet It. The tube Il may be secured to a. plate l 6 by theupper edge I8 of the tube being outwardly flared and held in place by aferrule I9 having a ilange 20 to force the tube against the wall of anopening 2| through the plate I6. These tubes each have a weight such as22 within the tube which may also be provided with some sort of a iin 23(Fig. 8) extending outwardly from its surface or a plate such as 24 atits lower end, so that the passage of the liquid from the inlet throughthe chamber to the outlet will by reason 'of its circulation cause aswinging movement of the tube l1 in the chamber. The Weight 22 and fins23 and 2t, although shown separately, may all be combined in eachelement I1.

If ice should collect upon the outer surface of the tube I6 and blockoff the iiow through the tube, then the pressure between the inletconduit I5 and the outlet conduit I4 will be such that the pressuredierential across the conduits will cause the tube I1 to collapse orassume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9, it being of anelastic resilient nature so that the ice will be broken from the tube byreason of its collapsing, which will be assisted by the swingingmovement of the tube in the chamber due to the iins and weight 22, thuscausing the ice to drop to the bottom of the chamber and accumulate atthe point 25. At this location, a heater 26 may be installed which willsupply sufiicient heat to melt the small quantity of ice thus formedthat it may be drawn off through the valve 2l.

We claim: 1. In a filter for removing ice crystals from a liquidhydrocarbon, a chamber for receiving the Number hydrocarbon and icecrystals. inlet and outlet conduits to and from said chamber, a tubulariiexible resilient filtrate permeable element in said chamber betweensaid inlet and outlet conduits with its interior in communication withsaid outlet conduit, said element being treated with an ice repellentmaterial and self supporting as to its cross section until a substantialpressure diierential is reached, when collapsing of said cross sectionoccurs.

2. In a lter as in claim 1 wherein said element is sufficiently elasticto substantially regain its shape after deformation on relief from saidpressure diierential.

3. In a filter as in claim 1 wherein the outlet conduit is throughthe-top wall of said chamber and said element is suspended from saidwall and is unsupported from within the element and sumciently exible torock upon turbulence Within said chamber.

4. In a. lter as in claim 1 wherein said tubular element is braidedglass fibers.

5. In a lter as in claim 1 wherein said tubular element is treated withsilicone.

6. In a lter as in claim 1 wherein said tubular element is braided glassbers, which is treated with silicone.

7. In a lter as in claim 1 wherein said element is provided with iinsand said inlet and outlet are so arranged as to provide a flow of liquidin said chamber against said fins.

JOHN WARREN ROBINSON. WILLIAM S. JAMES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NameDate Genter Apr. 16, 1918 Sweetland Aug. 13, 1929 Oliver July 25, 1939De Langen Mar. 2, 1943 Tietig July 25, 1944 Robinson Sept. 23, 1952

